Facts about DOS Attacks

Associated Credit Union takes the safeguarding of your information seriously. We require the following codes to properly identify and authenticate you prior to allowing online access to our Online Banking and Online Bill Pay services.

The first code is an Account Number. Your Account number is a unique identifier that identifies who you are while also allowing ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION to consolidate access to multiple account or product relationships that you may have with us.

Your Password is another code we use to authenticate you. Your Password must be between eight and 12 characters long and cannot contain your Account number. It must have at least one letter and one number, and contain no spaces. Your Password should also be something that is easy for you to remember, but hard for anyone else to guess.

Security Statement

Our Commitment to You

ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION understands that your trust in us depends on how well we keep your personal, business, and account information secure. Our Information Security Program is comprehensive, proactive and designed to ensure information about you is secure whether you choose to bank with us through our branches, ATMs, telephone, or the Internet.

ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION utilizes industry accepted security practices that are appropriate for the way you choose to bank with us. For your protection, no matter which channel you choose, we verify you are who you say you are before granting you access to your accounts. Additionally, our systems use firewalls and encryption to protect information about you. We would never contact members via e-mail and request personal, account number, passwords or other sensitive information.

Security Is Everyone's Responsibility

At ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION, we take the safeguarding of your information seriously. In fact, we believe keeping information about you safe and secure is every employee's responsibility. We also encourage you, the customer, to take steps in protecting information about you. An excellent source of information on how to prevent identity theft and what to do if you are a victim of identity theft is the Federal Trade Commission' web site.

For more information on how we protect information about you online and our approach to privacy, please see our Privacy Statement.

Security Controls and Browser Requirements

We understand the security of personal and account information about you is important to you. To assist us in offering financial services in a secure manner, we employ a number of controls described below. These controls allow us to properly authenticate your identity when you access these services and protect information about you as it travels over the Internet between us and your access device (such as PC or wireless device). Many of the financial services we provide on this Web site use access codes, such as your login ID, password, or Personal Identification Number (PIN). The Online Banking and Online Bill Pay Security document describes additional security measures.

This site requires the use of secure browsers to protect you while you access our online services. Secure browsers allow you to communicate with our Web site in a protected session by encrypting information that flows between you and the site. To verify your session is secure and to make certain you are on Associated Credit Union's Web site, look for https: instead of http: in the URL address line, and a secure symbol (for example, closed padlock or key) on the status bar of your browser located at the top of the screen next to the URL address. You can click on the padlock symbol to read our certificate which verifies that you are on our official Web site. For greater security when viewing your account information over the Internet, we require that you use a browser with u8-bit encryption. For more information on your browser's features and how to download a more secure version of your browser, click on one of the browser logos at the bottom.

To provide additional protection, a timeout feature is used on selected parts of our Web site. This feature automatically logs you out of your account after an extended period of time. As another form of protection, your account will be locked out after three unsuccessful login attempts are made.

What you need to know to protect yourself

ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION recommends you use something other than significant names (spouse, children), local sports teams, or other such easily guessed items as your Password. If you do not have a Password for Online Banking, if you have forgotten your Online Banking Password, or think your Online Banking Password has been compromised, contact us at 770.448.8200. Ext. 2402.

Re-establishing and authenticating your credentials for your online session helps to reduce unauthorized access to your accounts with us via the Internet.

The Web site uses firewalls to protect our computer systems and your information. Firewalls can be thought of as a selective barrier that permits only specific types of traffic (transactions) through to our systems.

Additional security is provided for some products and services using digital certificates and other public key infrastructure services.

While we at ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION continue to provide security controls to protect information about you, we believe it is extremely important for you to share in the responsibility for security. The following are some ways you can protect yourself and your accounts:

Never share your passwords with anyone. Remember, an ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION representative will never ask you for your PIN.

We recommend you change your passwords on a regular basis. If you think your passwords have been compromised, change them and contact us immediately.

Use only the secure support service provided within Online Banking when sending or requesting account or information about you.

Consider using a personal firewall to prevent hackers from invading your personal computer, especially if you are using DSL or a cable modem to access the Internet.

Install virus protection software and scan all downloaded software, as well as all diskettes, before use. Also, delete e-mails with attachments from unknown sources.

When you are done with your transactions, always click on the Logoff button on the Web site to exit the application and prevent further access to your account. When using a public PC (such as in a library or school), also close the browser when you are finished.

Online Banking and Online Bill Pay Security E-mail and Website Fraud

Links to third-party sites are provided for your convenience. Such sites are not within our control and may not follow the same privacy, security, or accessibility standards as ours. ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION neither endorses nor guarantees offerings of the third party providers, nor is ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION responsible for the security, content or availability of third-party sites, their partners, or advertisers.

What you need to know to protect yourself

In recent years, the Internet has become an appealing place for criminals to obtain consumers' identifying data (such as passwords or banking information), then use them to gain unauthorized access to financial accounts, for identity theft, or to engage in other illegal acts.

We want you to be aware of some of the more prevalent ways criminals are attempting to obtain your information and how to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. Click a topic below to learn more.

E-mail Fraud

E-mail and Web site fraud, often referred to as "phishing: "carding: or "spoofing: involves a fraudster sending you an e-mail request that appears to be from a business with whom you normally deal-for example, an Internet service provider (ISP), online payment service, or bank. The e-mail may instruct you to "update" or "validate" your information, including account information, Social Security number, passwords and other sensitive information via e-mail, or by directing you to a phony Web site that looks like the legitimate business. By complying with the e-mail instructions, you unknowingly provide this information-not to the legitimate company-but to the thief. The information is then used to transfer money, make payments, and commit other illegal acts. E-mail scams may also carry worms or viruses that can further harm you by dropping potentially damaging viruses onto your computer system.

Phony Web Sites

Often used in connection with e-mail fraud schemes, fraudsters will create a Web page or Web site that is similar to that of the legitimate company, using a URL address that is similar to that of the reputable business. For example, the address of the phony Web site or Web page may use a common misspelling of the company's name or may add a word, symbol or number before or after the name. Even if you do not receive an e-mail directing you to such a site, you may accidentally mistype the address of a legitimate site in your browser and end up on the phony site. The fraudster's hope is that you will continue to conduct your online transactions as usual, entering personal information, account numbers, and passwords.

While we at ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION continue to provide security controls to protect your information, you can help protect yourself and your accounts by following these guidelines:

E-mail

The safest approach is to immediately delete e-mail from unknown sources, before opening the e-mail.

Avoid clicking on any links in unsolicited e-mail, particularly e-mails that ask (either directly or by pointing to a Web site) for personal, financial, or identity information. Instead, directly type the Web site destination into your browser or use a trusted bookmark to verify the site or to log into your account directly.

Inspect the company logo, if used in the e-mail or the linked Web site, and compare it to that used on the legitimate Web site of that company. Be suspicious of e-mails or Web sites if the logo is distorted or looks as if it has been stretched.

If you receive an e-mail that warns you, with little or no notice, that an account of yours will be shut down unless you reconfirm your billing information, do not reply or click on the link in the e-mail. Instead, contact the company cited in the e-mail using a telephone number or Web site address you know to be genuine.

Avoid sending personal and financial information over the Internet. Before submitting financial information through a Web site, look for the padlock icon on your browser's status bar. It signals that your information is secure during transmission. If you double-click on the padlock, you can view the security certificate. The URL in the "Issued to" field for legitimate ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION sites will end in "acuonline.org."

What you need to know to protect yourself

To better recognize legitimate e-mails from third parties, familiarize yourself with the privacy and security policies of third party Web sites to understand how they will use your e-mail address.

You may also wish to contact your Internet Service Provider for support in blocking e-mails or subscribing to a spam filter they may offer.

Ensure your home computer has anti-virus software and remember to update it frequently.

Bookmark trusted Internet destinations or, if you enter the Web site address directly, rechecks it to ensure you have entered the correct address before providing personal information on a site.

Be suspicious of an information-collecting Web page that is an "orphan" page. In other words, you cannot locate a home page for the company, or the home page has an "under construction" message on it.

Look for the presence of a "@" symbol anywhere in the page URL. This is usually indicative of a fraudulent Web site.

Ensure you know the person/entity to which you are giving information over the Internet.

Only do business with Internet companies that use a secure form to capture private information.

To verify your session is secure, look for "https:" instead of "http:" in the URL address line, as well as the padlock icon on your browser's status bar . You can read more about the measures taken by Associated Credit Union to protect your information in our Security Statement.

You should always review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them make sure there are no unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.

Reporting Suspicious or Fraudulent Communications and Transactions

You should report suspicious activity or e-mail communications to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Send the actual e-mail you received to spam@uce.gov. ( If you believe you've been scammed, file your complaint at ftc.gov, then visit the FTC's Identity Theft Web site ftc.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from identity theft.)

If you receive a suspicious message that appears to be coming from Associated Credit Union, or discover a potentially phony Associated Credit Union Web site, please let us know by calling 770.448.8200 We take these incidents seriously and work with our internal investigations team and law enforcement agencies to investigate them.

More Information about Identity Theft and Fraud Prevention*

To learn other ways to avoid e-mail scams and deal with deceptive spam visit ftc.gov/spam

For updates on the latest e-mail hoaxes visit symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html

For information on how to manage and control spam visit ftc.govjbcp/conline/edcams/spam/index.html

For more information on identity theft visit usdoj.gov/criminaljfraud/idtheft.html

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Links to third-party sites are provided for your convenience. Such sites are not within our control and may not follow the same privacy, security, or accessibility standards as ours. Associated Credit Union neither endorses nor guarantees offerings of the third party providers, nor is Associated Credit Union responsible for the security, content or availability of third-party sites, their partners, or advertisers.

What you need to know to protect yourself

Links to third-party sites are provided for your convenience. Such sites are not within our control and may not follow the same privacy, security, or accessibility standards as ours. Associated Credit Union neither endorses nor guarantees offerings of the third party providers, nor is Associated Credit Union responsible for the security, content or availability of third-party sites, their partners, or advertisers.